JP5234796B2 - Weather information providing apparatus, weather information providing method, and weather information providing processing program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a weather information providing apparatus, a weather information providing method, and a weather information providing processing program.

  Conventionally, there are services that provide weather information to users. For example, there has been proposed a technique for collecting information related to the weather in each region and realizing a service that provides weather information for each region on the Web.

“Weather Report”, [online], Weather Service Co., Ltd., [Search February 9, 2009], Internet <URL: http://www.weather-report.jp>

  However, the conventional technology does not always provide useful information about the weather when the user determines an appropriate response to the weather, for example. In other words, if it is raining at a station where the user goes by using a train, for example, it is raining at a strength that does not wet the clothes even without an umbrella, or the clothes are soaked if there is no umbrella. It does not provide information on the weather at a level that can be imagined by the user, such as falling at a strength of becoming. Therefore, in the conventional technology, the user may not be able to determine an appropriate response to the weather.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a weather information providing apparatus, a weather information providing method, and a weather capable of providing information related to weather useful for a user to determine an appropriate response to the weather. An object is to provide an information provision processing program.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a weather information providing apparatus that provides a user with weather information related to a place that can be a user's destination, and for each place that can be the destination , Reference image storage means for storing in advance a plurality of reference images obtained by photographing each observation board installed at the place for each different weather situation, and the weather situation at the place that can be the destination when the predetermined time is reached After observing the image, and performing a wiping operation with the wiper by sliding the wiper slidably contacted on the observation plate at the start of the observation, an image of the observation plate after a certain time is taken as an observation result A plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage unit, and a plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage unit. Reference image acquisition means for acquiring a reference image most similar to the photographed image from among the reference images, identification data for identifying the reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition means, and observation of the weather situation are performed. Data storage means for associating the data relating to the location and the shooting date and time when the image was taken by the shooting means in association with each other is stored in the storage unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information regarding the weather useful for a user to judge the appropriate response | compatibility with a weather can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining features according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the reference image DB according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the analysis result DB according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the reference image DB according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and / or the weather information management server according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a computer that executes a weather information provision processing program.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a weather information providing apparatus, a weather information providing method, and a weather information providing processing program according to the present invention will be described in detail. Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the weather information providing apparatus according to the present invention, an embodiment in which the weather information providing apparatus is realized by an observation control apparatus and a weather information management server will be described as Example 1.

  In the following first embodiment, the outline and features according to the first embodiment, the configuration and processing according to the first embodiment will be described in order, and finally the effects of the first embodiment will be described.

[Outline and Features (Example 1)]
The observation control apparatus and the weather information management server according to the first embodiment are summarized to provide a user with weather information regarding a railway station that can be a user's destination. The observation control apparatus and the weather information management server according to the first embodiment are characterized in that provision of information regarding the weather that is useful for the user to determine an appropriate response to the weather is realized.

  The above features will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining features according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, a weather observation unit having an observation board that receives rain, a wiper for cleaning the observation board, and a camera that photographs the observation board, and an observation control device that controls the observation of the weather by the weather observation part Installed at each railway station. The weather information management server is communicably connected to the observation control device via a network (for example, a public telephone network or the Internet).

  The observation control device stores in advance a reference image obtained by photographing the observation board of the weather observation unit for each different weather situation in the storage unit. The reference image is an image obtained by capturing the size of water droplets formed on the observation board in response to rain or snow, and a plurality of images are captured according to the strength of rain or snow. For example, when it is raining, it is raining at such a strength that the clothes will not get wet even without an umbrella, or at the strength that the clothes will get soaked if there is no umbrella. It is information about the weather that can be imagined by the user.

  Then, the observation control device starts the observation of the weather condition by controlling the weather observation unit as the observation time is reached, and takes an image of the observation board as the observation result of the weather condition.

  After the observation is completed, the observation control device compares the captured image of the observation board with a plurality of reference images stored in advance to obtain the most similar reference image. That is, the purpose is to specify the intensity of rain, snow, etc., from the comparison between the reference image and the observed image. Then, the observation control device associates the reference image ID for identifying the acquired reference image, the station name, and the observation date and time, and transmits them to the weather information management server.

  The weather information management server stores the reference image ID received from the observation control device installed at each station, the station name, and the observation date and time in the storage unit in association with each other. Then, when the weather information management server receives a request for weather information regarding a predetermined station from the user, the reference image stored in the storage unit by using the date and time when the request is received and the station name corresponding to the request as a key Search for an ID. Then, the weather information management server requests the observation control device to transmit the weather situation corresponding to the retrieved reference image ID.

  When the observation control apparatus receives the weather situation transmission request from the weather information management server, the observation control apparatus searches the storage section for the weather situation corresponding to the request using the reference image ID as a key, and the searched weather situation is the weather information management server. Reply to When the weather information management server receives the weather situation from the observation control device, the weather information management server provides the received weather situation to the user in association with the station name and the observation date and time.

  The user can experience the weather condition of the current station from the weather condition received from the weather information management server.

  For this reason, the observation control device and the weather information management server according to the first embodiment can provide information related to the weather that is useful for the user to determine an appropriate response to the weather, as described above. .

[Configuration (Example 1)]
Next, the configuration of the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400, and the weather information management server 400 and the user device 100 can communicate with each other via a network 1 such as a public telephone network or the Internet.

  The user device 100 is used by a user to acquire station weather information from the weather information management server 400. This corresponds to a mobile phone, a mobile terminal such as a PHS, a PDA, a personal computer, or the like provided with a function for exchanging information with the weather information management server 400.

  The weather observation unit 200 includes a wiper 210, a camera 220, and an observation plate 230. The wiper 200 is driven on the surface of the observation plate 230 in accordance with an instruction from the observation control device 300, and cleans water droplets and dirt on the observation plate 230. The camera 220 captures an image of the observation board 230 in accordance with an instruction from the observation control device 300, and stores the captured image in an internal memory. The observation board 230 receives rain, snow, etc. falling from the sky.

  The observation control device 300 is installed at each station as a pair with the weather observation unit 200 described above, and controls the weather observation operation by the weather observation unit 200 to analyze the observation result. As shown in FIG. 2, the observation control apparatus 300 includes a reference image DB 310, a communication control unit 320, an observation control unit 330, an observation data analysis unit 340, and an analysis result transmission unit 350.

  The reference image DB 310 includes a plurality of reference image data obtained by photographing observation plates receiving rain and snow of different strengths, a reference image ID for identifying reference image data, a weather situation representing rain and snow conditions at the time of photographing, In addition, it is stored in association with body sensitivity when experiencing rain or snow at the time of shooting. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the reference image ID “a1”, the reference image data D (a1), the weather condition “sunny”, and the body sensitivity “clothes are not wet (no umbrella required)” are associated with each other. Remember. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the reference image DB according to the first embodiment.

  Note that the reference image data is an image of water droplets formed on the observation board in response to rain or snow, and a plurality of images are captured according to the intensity of rain or snow. Also, for example, it is raining at the strength that clothes do not get wet even without an umbrella, or it is raining at the strength that clothes get soaked without an umbrella, so that rain and snow at the time of reference image shooting Information that can be imagined by the user is linked to the reference image data as body sensitivity.

  The communication control unit 320 controls communication regarding exchange of various information with the weather information management server 400.

  The observation control unit 330 controls the weather observation operation by the weather observation unit 200. Specifically, the observation control unit 330 waits for reaching a preset observation time, and when the observation time is reached, drives the wiper 210 to clean the observation plate 230.

  After cleaning the observation plate 230, the observation control unit 330 causes the camera 220 to capture the state of the observation plate 230 after a certain period of time has elapsed. Then, the observation control unit 330 determines whether or not the observation should be continued, and when it is determined that the observation should be continued, the wiper 210 is driven again to return the observation plate 230 to cleaning, and the above-described processing is performed. repeat. Note that whether or not to continue observation is determined based on, for example, whether or not the elapsed time from the start of imaging is within a preset observation duration.

  The observation data analysis unit 340 analyzes the observation data. Specifically, the observation data analysis unit 340 acquires a captured image stored in the internal memory of the camera 220 and acquires a reference image from the reference image DB 310. Then, the observation data analysis unit 340 calculates the similarity between the captured image and each reference image, and acquires the reference image ID of the reference image having the maximum similarity from the reference image DB 310. After obtaining the reference image ID, the observation data analysis unit 340 passes the analysis result that associates the reference image ID, the observation date and time, and the station name to the analysis result transmission unit 350.

  When the observation data analysis unit 340 receives a request for transmission of weather conditions and body sensitivity from the weather information management server 400, the observation data analysis unit 340 uses the reference image ID received together with the request as a key, and the weather conditions and body sensitivity corresponding to the reference image ID. Is retrieved from the reference image DB 310. Then, the observation data analysis unit 340 passes the reference image ID, the searched weather condition, and the body sensitivity to the analysis result transmission unit 350.

  Upon receiving the analysis result from the observation data analysis unit 340, the analysis result transmission unit 350 transmits the analysis result to the weather information management server 400 via the communication control unit 320. In addition, when receiving the reference image ID, the weather condition, and the body sensitivity from the observation data analysis unit 340, the analysis result transmission unit 350 transmits the weather condition and the body sensitivity to the weather information management server 400 in association with the reference image ID.

  The weather information management server 400 manages information related to the weather received from the observation control device 300 installed at each station, and provides weather information in response to a request from the user device 100. And as shown in FIG. 2, it has analysis result DB410, the communication control part 420, the analysis result preservation | save part 430, and the weather information provision part 440. As shown in FIG.

  The analysis result DB 410 stores data related to analysis data of observation results obtained by the observation control device 300 (comparison results between a captured image of the observation plate 230 and a reference image). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, station information “A station”, observation time “02/01/12: 00”, and reference image ID “a1” are stored in association with each other. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the analysis result DB according to the first embodiment.

  The communication control unit 420 controls communication regarding exchange of various information between the weather information management server 400 and the user device 100.

  When receiving the analysis result of the observation data from the observation control device 300 installed in each station, the analysis result storage unit 430 stores the analysis result in the analysis result DB 410.

  The weather information providing unit 440 provides weather information in response to a request from the user device 100. Specifically, when the weather information providing unit 440 receives a request for weather information regarding a predetermined station from the user, the weather information providing unit 440 stores the date and time when the request is received and the station name corresponding to the request in the analysis result DB 410. The record with the latest or the same date is searched from the reference image IDs. Then, the weather information management server 400 requests the observation control device 300 to transmit the weather situation and body sensitivity corresponding to the retrieved reference image ID.

  When the weather condition and body sensitivity are received from the observation control device 300, the weather information providing unit 440 associates the observation date and station name with the weather condition and body sensitivity and transmits them to the user device 100.

[Processing (Example 1)]
Subsequently, the flow of processing by the observation control apparatus and the weather information management server according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5-8 is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the process by the observation control apparatus which concerns on Example 1, and / or a weather information management server.

(Observation control processing)
First, the flow of observation control processing in the observation control apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the observation control unit 330 waits for arrival at a preset observation time (step S1). When the observation time is reached (step S1 affirmative), the wiper 210 is driven to drive the observation plate 230. Is cleaned (step S2). After cleaning the observation plate 230, the observation control unit 330 waits for a certain time to elapse, and causes the camera 220 to photograph the state of the observation plate 230 after the certain time has elapsed (step S3).

  And the observation control part 330 determines whether observation should be continued (step S4), and when it determines with observation being continued (step S4 affirmation), it returns to above-mentioned step S2 again, and step is performed. The process up to S3 is performed. On the other hand, as a result of determining whether or not the observation should be continued, if the observation control unit 330 determines that the observation should not be continued (No at step S4), the observation control process ends. Note that whether or not to continue observation is determined based on, for example, whether or not the elapsed time from the start of imaging is within a preset observation duration.

(Observation data analysis processing)
Next, the flow of observation data analysis processing in the observation control apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the observation data analysis unit 340 acquires a captured image stored in the internal memory of the camera 220 (step S1) and acquires a reference image from the reference image DB 310 (step S2).

  Then, the observation data analysis unit 340 calculates the similarity between the captured image and each reference image (step S3), and acquires the reference image ID of the reference image having the maximum similarity from the reference image DB 310 (step S3). S4). After acquiring the reference image ID, the observation data analysis unit 340 passes the analysis data in which the reference image ID, the observation date / time (observation date / time) and the station name are associated with each other to the analysis result transmission unit 350.

  Upon receiving the analysis data from the observation data analysis unit 340, the analysis result transmission unit 350 transmits the analysis data to the weather information management server 400 via the communication control unit 320 (step S5). The observation data analysis unit 340 determines whether or not the analysis process for all the captured images acquired from the camera 220 has been completed (step S6), and if the analysis process for all the captured images has not been completed as a result of the determination. (No in step S6), the process returns to the above-described step S1 and the process up to step S5 is performed. On the other hand, when the observation data analysis unit 340 determines whether or not the analysis process for all the captured images acquired from the camera 220 is completed, the analysis process for all the captured images is completed (Yes in step S6). The analysis process is terminated.

(Analysis result saving process)
Next, the flow of analysis result storage processing in the weather information management server 400 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the analysis result storage unit 430 waits for reception of the analysis result of the observation data transmitted from the observation control device 300 installed at each station (step S1). When the analysis result of the observation data is received from the observation control device 300 (Yes at Step S1), the analysis result storage unit 430 stores the analysis result in the analysis result DB 410 (Step S2).

(Weather information provision processing)
Next, the flow of weather information provision processing by the weather information management server 400 and the observation control device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, when the weather information providing unit 440 receives a request for weather information regarding a predetermined station from the user (Yes in step S1), the date and time when the request is received and the station name corresponding to the request are used as keys. Then, the record with the latest date or the same date is searched from the reference image ID stored in the analysis result DB 410 (step S2). Then, the weather information management server 400 requests the observation control device 300 to transmit the weather situation and body sensitivity corresponding to the retrieved reference image ID (step S3).

  When the observation data analysis unit 340 receives the weather status and body sensitivity transmission request from the weather information management server 400 (step S4), the observation data analysis unit 340 uses the reference image ID received together with the request as a key and the weather status and the reference image ID. The body sensitivity is searched from the reference image DB 310 (step S5).

  Then, the observation data analysis unit 340 passes the reference image ID, the searched weather condition, and the body sensitivity to the analysis result transmission unit 350. Upon receiving the reference image ID, weather condition, and body sensitivity from the observation data analysis unit 340, the analysis result transmission unit 350 transmits the weather condition and body sensitivity to the weather information management server 400 in association with the reference image ID (step S6). . Then, the observation control apparatus 300 completes the process.

  When the weather situation and body sensitivity are received from the observation control device 300 (step S7), the weather information providing unit 440 associates the observation date and time and the station name with the weather situation and body sensitivity and transmits them to the user device 100 (step S8). . Then, the weather information management server 400 completes the process.

[Effects of Example 1]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, the reference most similar to the captured image of the observation board at the time of observation is selected from a plurality of reference images obtained by capturing raindrops and snow and forming water droplets formed on the observation board. By acquiring images, the strength of rain and snow is specified. Then, the user is provided with information that allows the user to imagine the rain and snow at the time of taking the acquired reference image. For this reason, it is possible to provide information related to the weather that is useful for the user to determine an appropriate response to the weather as compared with the conventional weather information.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the observation data is analyzed in the observation control apparatus 300 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the weather information management server 400 may analyze the observation data. Therefore, in the following second embodiment, an embodiment in which observation data is analyzed in the weather information management server 400 will be described as a second embodiment.

[Configuration (Example 1)]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration according to the second embodiment. The configuration according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in the points described below.

  That is, the observation control apparatus 300 includes a communication control unit 320, an observation control unit 330, and an observation data transmission unit 360. On the other hand, the weather information management server 400 newly includes a reference image DB 450 and an observation data analysis unit 460 in addition to the functions of the first embodiment.

  The observation control unit 330 of the observation control device 300 causes the camera 220 to photograph the state of the observation plate 230 after a certain period of time has elapsed after cleaning the observation plate 230. Then, the observation control unit 330 passes the observation data associated with the station name and the observation date and time to the captured image to the observation data transmission unit 360. The observation data transmission unit 360 transmits observation data to the weather information management server 400.

  The reference image DB 450 of the weather information management server 400 includes a plurality of reference image data obtained by photographing observation boards receiving rain and snow having different strengths, a reference image ID for identifying reference image data, and rain and snow at the time of photographing. Each station name is stored in association with the weather situation representing the situation and the body sensitivity when experiencing rain or snow at the time of shooting.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, for the station name “A station”, the reference image ID “a1”, the reference image data D (a1), the weather condition “sunny”, and the body sensitivity “clothes are not wet (no umbrella required) ) "In association with each other. Further, for example, as shown in the figure, for the station name “B station”, the reference image ID “b5”, the reference image data D (b5), the weather condition “light rain”, and the body sensitivity “clothes get wet (umbrella) Is necessary) and stored. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the reference image DB according to the second embodiment.

  When the observation data analysis unit 460 of the weather information management server 400 receives a captured image from the observation control device 300, the observation data analysis unit 460 stores the received captured image in an internal memory in association with the station name and the observation date and time.

  Then, the observation data analysis unit 460 acquires a captured image from the internal memory, and acquires a reference image corresponding to the station name of the captured image from the reference image DB 450. Then, the observation data analysis unit 460 calculates the similarity between the captured image and each reference image, and acquires the reference image ID of the reference image having the maximum similarity from the reference image DB 450.

  After obtaining the reference image ID, the observation data analysis unit 460 passes the analysis result that associates the reference image ID, the observation date and time, and the station name to the analysis result storage unit 430. Upon receiving the observation data analysis result from the observation data analysis unit 460, the analysis result storage unit 430 stores the analysis result in the analysis result DB 410 by associating the reference image ID, the observation date and time, and the station name.

  When the weather information providing unit 440 receives a request for weather information regarding a predetermined station from the user, the reference image stored in the analysis result DB 410 using the date and time when the request is received and the station name corresponding to the request as keys. The record with the latest or the same date is searched from the ID.

  Further, the weather information providing unit 440 searches for the weather situation and body sensitivity corresponding to the reference image ID from the weather situation and body sensitivity stored in the reference image DB 450 using the retrieved reference image ID as a key. . Then, the weather information providing unit 440 associates the observation date / time and the station name with the searched weather situation and body sensitivity, and transmits them to the user device 100.

[Processing (Example 2)]
FIGS. 11-14 is a figure for demonstrating the flow of a process by the observation control apparatus which concerns on Example 2, and / or a weather information management server.

(Observation control processing)
The observation control process according to the second embodiment is different from the observation control process according to the first embodiment described above (see FIG. 5) in the following points. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the observation control unit 330 waits for a certain period of time after cleaning the observation plate 230 and causes the camera 220 to photograph the state of the observation plate 230 (step S <b> 3). The observation data associated with the station name and the observation date / time is passed to the observation data transmission unit 360. The observation data transmission unit 360 transmits observation data to the weather information management server 400 (step S4).

(Observation data storage processing)
Next, the flow of observation data storage processing in the weather information management server 400 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the observation data analysis unit 460 waits for reception of observation data transmitted from the observation control device 300 installed at each station (step S1). When the observation data is received from the observation control device 300 (Yes at Step S1), the captured image, the station name, and the observation date / time received as the observation data are associated with each other and stored in the internal memory (Step S2).

(Observation data analysis processing)
The observation data analysis processing according to the second embodiment is different in that it is executed in the weather information management server 400 instead of the observation control device 300. Hereinafter, the flow of the observation control apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, the observation data analysis unit 460 acquires a captured image from an internal memory (step S1), and acquires a reference image corresponding to the station name of the captured image from the reference image DB 450 (step S2). . Then, the observation data analysis unit 460 calculates the similarity between the captured image and each reference image (Step S3), and acquires the reference image ID of the reference image having the maximum similarity from the reference image DB 450 (Step S3). S4).

  After obtaining the reference image ID, the observation data analysis unit 460 passes the analysis result that associates the reference image ID, the observation date and time, and the station name to the analysis result storage unit 430. When the analysis result storage unit 430 receives the analysis result of the observation data from the observation data analysis unit 460, the analysis result storage unit 430 stores the reference image ID, the observation date and time, and the station name in association with each other in the analysis result DB 410 (step S5).

  Then, the observation data analysis unit 460 determines whether or not the analysis process for all the captured images stored in the internal memory has been completed (step S6), and as a result of the determination, the analysis process for all the captured images is completed. If not (No at Step S6), the process returns to Step S1 described above, and the process up to Step S5 is performed. On the other hand, as a result of determining whether or not the analysis process for all the captured images has been completed, the observation data analysis unit 460 ends the analysis process when the analysis process for all the captured images has been completed (Yes in step S6). To do.

(Weather information provision processing)
The weather information provision process according to the second embodiment is different from the weather information provision process according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 8) described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, after retrieving the reference image ID (step S2), the weather information providing unit 440 uses the retrieved reference image ID as a key and the weather situation and body sensitivity stored in the reference image DB 450. The weather condition and body sensitivity corresponding to the reference image ID are searched from (step S3). Then, the weather information providing unit 440 associates the observation date and time and the station name with the searched weather situation and body sensitivity, and transmits them to the user apparatus 100 (step S4).

[Effects of Example 2]
As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the observation data is analyzed in the weather information management server 400, when the weather information is provided to the user, between the weather information management server 400 and the observation control device 300. The number of information exchanges can be reduced. Therefore, information useful for the user to determine an appropriate response to the weather can be provided more quickly.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, a railway station is taken as an example of a place that can be a user's destination, and the case where weather information about the railway station is provided to the user has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the weather observation unit 200 or the observation control device 300 can be installed and can communicate with the weather information management server 400, an airport, a landmark, etc. It is also possible to provide weather information about various places that can be a user's destination.

  Example 3 will be described below as another embodiment of the weather information providing apparatus, the weather information providing method, and the weather information providing processing program according to the present invention.

(1) Device Configuration, etc. Each component included in each device according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. That is, the specific form of distribution / integration of the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400 is not limited to the illustrated one. For example, the observation data analysis unit 340 and the analysis result transmission unit 350 of the observation control apparatus 300 are integrated. As described above, all or a part of each component included in each device according to the first embodiment is configured to be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in an arbitrary unit according to various loads or usage conditions. can do.

  In addition, the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400 described in the above embodiment are not necessarily physically distributed. That is, for example, even if the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400 have all the functions and are physically integrated, the weather information providing device and the weather information providing method according to the present invention. Is feasible.

  Furthermore, each processing function (see FIGS. 5 to 8, 11 to 14, etc.) performed by the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400 is analyzed or executed by the CPU and the CPU. It can be realized by a program to be executed, or can be realized as hardware by wired logic.

(2) Weather information providing method The following weather information is provided by each processing function (see FIGS. 5-8, 11-14, etc.) performed by the observation control device 300 and the weather information management server 400 in the above embodiment. A method is realized.

  That is, a shooting step of starting observation of weather conditions at a predetermined station upon arrival at a predetermined time and shooting an image of an observation board representing an observation result (see, for example, steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 5), A plurality of reference images are read from a reference image DB that stores in advance a reference image obtained by photographing an observation board installed at a predetermined station for each different weather situation, and the read reference images and the observation board A reference image acquisition step of comparing each of the captured images with each other and acquiring a reference image most similar to the captured image from the plurality of read reference images (see, for example, step S1 to step S4 in FIG. 6), reference The data stored in the analysis result DB in association with the reference image ID acquired in the image acquisition step, the name of the station where the weather situation was observed, and the imaging date / time (observation date / time) of the observation board In the storing step (see FIG. 7), when a request for weather information regarding a predetermined station is received from the user, the date and time when the request is received and the station name corresponding to the request are stored in the DB. A search step for searching for a reference image ID (see, for example, step S1 and step S2 in FIG. 8), and searching for a weather situation stored in the reference image DB using the searched reference image ID as a key ( For example, a communication processing method including a providing step (see, for example, step S8 in FIG. 8) of providing the user with the weather situation searched in the search step in association with the station name and the observation date and time. Is realized.

(3) Weather Information Providing Processing Program Various processes of the weather information management server described in the second embodiment (see, for example, FIG. 13) are executed in advance by using a program such as a personal computer or a workstation. It can be realized by executing in the system. Therefore, in the following, an example of a computer that executes a weather provision processing program having the same function as that of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a computer that executes a weather information provision processing program.

  As shown in the figure, the computer 500 is configured by connecting a communication control unit 510, an HDD 520, a RAM 530, and a CPU 540 via a bus 600.

  Here, the communication control unit 510 controls communication related to the exchange of various information. The HDD 520 stores information necessary for the CPU 540 to execute various processes. The RAM 530 temporarily stores various information. The CPU 540 executes various arithmetic processes.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the HDD 520 includes a weather information provision processing program 521 that performs the same function as each processing unit of the weather management server 400 shown in the second embodiment, and weather information provision processing data. 522 is stored in advance. The weather information provision processing program 521 may be appropriately distributed and stored in a storage unit of another computer that is communicably connected via a network.

  The CPU 540 reads this weather information provision processing program 521 from the HDD 520 and expands it in the RAM 530, whereby the weather information provision processing program 521 functions as a weather information provision processing process 531 as shown in FIG. . That is, the weather information provision processing process 531 reads out the weather information provision processing data 522 and the like from the HDD 520, expands it in the area allocated to itself in the RAM 530, and executes various processes based on the expanded data and the like. The weather information provision processing process 531 corresponds to processing executed in various processing function units (for example, the observation data analysis unit 460 and the weather information provision unit 440) of the weather information management server 400 shown in FIG. .

  The weather information provision processing program 521 described above does not necessarily need to be stored in the HDD 520 from the beginning. For example, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a magneto-optical disk that is inserted into the computer 500. Each program is stored in a “portable physical medium” such as an IC card, and “another computer (or server)” connected to the computer 500 via a public line, the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or the like. In addition, the computer 500 may read out and execute each program from these.

  As described above, the weather information providing apparatus, the weather information providing method, and the weather information providing processing program according to the present invention provide the user with weather information regarding a place (for example, a railway station) that can be the user's destination. It is useful and particularly suitable for providing information useful for the user to determine an appropriate response to the weather.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network 100 User apparatus 200 Weather observation part 210 Wiper 220 Camera 230 Observation board 300 Observation control apparatus 310 Reference image DB
320 Communication control unit 330 Observation control unit 340 Observation data analysis unit 350 Analysis result transmission unit 360 Observation data transmission unit 400 Weather information management server 410 Analysis result DB
420 communication control unit 430 analysis result storage unit 440 weather information providing unit 450 reference image DB
460 Observation Data Analysis Unit 500 Computer 510 Communication Control Unit 520 HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
521 Weather information provision processing program 522 Weather information provision processing data 530 RAM (Random Access Memory)
531 Weather Information Providing Process 540 CPU (Central Processing Unit)
600 buses

Claims (8)

A weather information providing device that provides a user with weather information regarding a place that can be a user's destination,
Reference image storage means for preliminarily storing a plurality of reference images obtained by photographing each observation board installed at the location for each different weather situation for each place that can be the destination;
Starts the observation of the weather conditions at a place that can be the destination upon reaching the predetermined time, and executes the wiping operation by the wiper by sliding the wiper that is slid on the observation plate at the start of the observation Then, a photographing means for photographing an image of the observation board after a certain time as an observation result,
A reference image that is most similar to the photographed image among the plurality of reference images by comparing the image photographed by the photographing unit with the plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage unit. Reference image acquisition means for acquiring
A storage unit that associates identification data for identifying a reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition unit, data on a place where the weather condition is observed, and a shooting date and time when the image is shot by the shooting unit A weather information providing device, comprising: a data storage means for storing the information on the weather information. When a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and a location corresponding to the request are used as keys to search the identification data stored in the storage unit Search means for searching the weather situation stored in the reference image storage means using the searched identification data as a key;
The weather information providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: providing means for providing the user with the weather situation searched by the search means in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time. The reference image storage means includes a plurality of reference image data obtained by photographing observation plates that receive rain and snow of different strengths, identification data for identifying reference image data, and status information indicating rain and snow conditions at the time of photographing. , And store it in association with experience information when experiencing rain or snow at the time of shooting,
The imaging means starts observation of rain and snow received on the observation board triggered by the arrival of a predetermined time, takes an image of the observation board after a certain time has elapsed since the start of observation,
The reference image acquisition unit compares the image of the observation board imaged by the imaging unit with a plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage unit, and compares the image from the plurality of reference images. Obtain a reference image that is most similar to the image of the observation board,
The data storage means includes identification data for identifying a reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition means, data relating to a place where the rain or snow is observed, and an image of an observation board by the imaging means. The weather information providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shooting date and time are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit. When a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and a location corresponding to the request are used as keys to search the identification data stored in the storage unit Search means for searching the situation information and the sensation information stored in the reference image storage means, using the searched identification data as a key,
The provision unit for providing the user with the situation information and the sensation information retrieved by the retrieval unit in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time, further comprising: Weather information providing device. A weather information providing method applied to a weather information providing apparatus that performs processing for providing a user with weather information relating to a place that can be a user's destination,
Starts the observation of the weather conditions at a place that can be the destination upon reaching the predetermined time, and executes the wiping operation by the wiper by sliding the wiper that is slid on the observation plate at the start of the observation Then, a shooting step of shooting an image of the observation board after a certain time as an observation result;
For each location that can be the destination , read a plurality of reference images from a reference image storage means that stores in advance a plurality of reference images obtained by photographing each observation board installed at the location for each different weather situation, A reference image for comparing the plurality of read reference images with the image captured in the capturing step to obtain a reference image most similar to the captured image from among the plurality of read reference images. An acquisition step;
A storage unit that associates identification data for identifying a reference image acquired in the reference image acquisition step, data on a place where the weather condition is observed, and a shooting date and time when the image was shot in the shooting step A data storage step to store in
When a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and a location corresponding to the request are used as keys to search the identification data stored in the storage unit A search step for searching the weather situation stored in the reference image storage means using the searched identification data as a key;
A providing step of providing the user with the weather condition searched in the searching step in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time. The shooting step starts observation of rain and snow received on the observation board triggered by the arrival of a predetermined time, takes an image of the observation board after a lapse of a certain time from the start of observation,
In the reference image acquisition step, identification data for identifying reference image data includes an image of the observation board imaged in the imaging step and a plurality of reference image data obtained by imaging observation boards receiving rain and snow of different strengths. A plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage means for storing in association with the situation information indicating the situation of rain or snow at the time of shooting and the feeling information when experiencing rain or snow at the time of shooting. Compared to each other, to obtain a reference image most similar to the image of the observation board from the plurality of reference images,
In the data storage step, identification data for identifying the reference image acquired in the reference image acquisition step, data on a place where the rain or snow is observed, and an image of the observation board are captured in the photographing step. Stored in the storage unit in association with the shooting date and time,
In the search step, when a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and the location corresponding to the request are used as a key for the identification stored in the storage unit. While searching for data, using the searched identification data as a key, the situation information and the sensation information stored in the reference image storage means are searched,
6. The weather information according to claim 5, wherein the providing step provides the user with the situation information and the sensation information searched in the searching step in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time. How to provide. A weather information provision processing program for causing a computer to execute processing for providing a user with weather information regarding a place that can be a user's destination,
Starts the observation of the weather conditions at a place that can be the destination upon reaching the predetermined time, and executes the wiping operation by the wiper by sliding the wiper that is slid on the observation plate at the start of the observation Then, a shooting procedure for shooting an image of the observation board after a certain time as an observation result,
For each location that can be the destination , read a plurality of reference images from a reference image storage means that stores in advance a plurality of reference images obtained by photographing each observation board installed at the location for each different weather situation, A reference image that compares a plurality of read reference images with an image shot by the shooting procedure and obtains a reference image that is most similar to the shot image from among the plurality of read reference images. Acquisition procedure;
A storage unit that associates identification data for identifying a reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition procedure, data on a place where the weather condition is observed, and a shooting date and time when the image is shot by the shooting procedure Data storage procedure to be stored in
When a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and a location corresponding to the request are used as keys to search the identification data stored in the storage unit A search procedure for searching for the weather situation stored in the reference image storage means using the searched identification data as a key;
A weather information provision processing program for causing a computer to execute a provision procedure for providing a user with the weather situation retrieved by the retrieval procedure in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time. The shooting procedure starts the observation of rain and snow received on the observation board triggered by the arrival of a predetermined time, and takes an image of the observation board after a certain time has elapsed from the start of observation,
The reference image acquisition procedure includes identification data for identifying reference image data, and an image of an observation board photographed by the photographing procedure and a plurality of reference image data obtained by photographing observation boards receiving rain and snow of different strengths. A plurality of reference images stored in the reference image storage means for storing in association with the situation information indicating the situation of rain or snow at the time of shooting and the feeling information when experiencing rain or snow at the time of shooting. Compared to each other, to obtain a reference image most similar to the image of the observation board from the plurality of reference images,
In the data storage procedure, identification data for identifying a reference image acquired by the reference image acquisition procedure, data on a place where the rain or snow is observed, and an image of the observation board are captured by the imaging procedure. Stored in the storage unit in association with the shooting date and time,
In the search procedure, when a request for weather information relating to a predetermined location is received from a user, the date and time when the request is received and the location corresponding to the request are used as a key for the identification stored in the storage unit. While searching for data, using the searched identification data as a key, the situation information and the sensation information stored in the reference image storage means are searched,
The weather information according to claim 7, wherein the providing procedure provides the user with the situation information and the sensation information retrieved by the retrieval procedure in association with the location corresponding to the request and the shooting date and time. Provision processing program.

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